Polite greetings when picking up the phone make the whole call go much easier, even if you're only responsible for handing the phone over to someone else. Make it easier on yourself and everyone calling by knowing how to greet someone on the phone–be it land line or cell––effectively.

Steps

1

If you've been answering the phone in a slapdash manner, think about how you impact others hearing you. For starters, you don't know who might be on the other end of the phone––it could be a future boss or lover and your first impression has left the caller feeling less than enthused about your phone manner! Remember that a good beginning ensures a good ending. If you find the phone intimidating at the best of times, improving your answering technique will help to boost your confidence because you only have to switch into a polite mode and follow the routine to overcome those initial nerves. Once you've practiced this enough times, it'll feel like second nature and you'll perform it flawlessly.

2

Be aware of the tone of your voice. Without being able to see you, people will draw conclusions about your trustworthiness, reliability and confidence from how you sound. If you're answering the phone for the sake of making business deals, this may be the only chance you get to impress a potential client or business partner. The tone of your voice is impacted by such things as clear or muffled speaking, the mood you're in and the enthusiasm you have for taking the call. You might think that your voice is loud or clear enough to be heard by others, but this is not necessarily so. On the other hand, shouting is just as bad as mumbling and will give the caller a shock. Try to practice your tone of voice with a friend who knows what you're trying to do. Let your friend provide constructive feedback on how you might improve your phone voice.

Aim for a clear voice that is loud enough to be heard but doesn't shout.

Lean back and arch your neck up. It is easier to exude enthusiasm in this position.

Keep your tone of voice pleasant and welcoming. Even if there are other things going on in the background of your life, be reluctant to infect your tone with this unless it's your mom or similar who will listen to your woes. Most other people will only be inclined to listen to a pleasant tone.

Try to stay standing up when answering the phone. This enables better breathing because your diaphragm is not squished by sitting. In standing up, you'll have more energy and this will come across to the caller in your voice.

Smile when you answer the phone. The smile will be heard in your voice and keeps a positive energy going.

3

Stop drinking or chewing food or gum before taking a call. Each of these sounds comes through to the caller on the other end of the line and they sound terrible. Other bodily noises to avoid when answering or speaking on the phone include flatulence, burping, smacking your gums together, yawning, mumbling or making popping noises with your mouth. If you have no choice but to sneeze or cough, excuse yourself and quickly cover the phone's sound piece.

4

Answer promptly. A phone that continues ringing leaves time for people to wonder why you're so slow at answering it. When you eventually get around to picking it up, it's possible that they'll be unfavorably disposed to you because they've become a little impatient and they'll wonder if you take them seriously. This is especially important in a work or business context but it can also matter on the home front unless your only callers are family who are already used to slow response times (it won't make them any less frustrated though).

5

Greet the caller with a "Hello". If you need to be more professional, say something like "Good morning" or "Good afternoon". Avoid saying "hi" in anything but the most informal context, unless you're keen to sound like a kid. Give your name and if you're at work, give your work title and/or the department you're in.

A formal example, "Hello, my name is Elizabeth Jones from the Legal Services Department. How may I help you?"

A less formal example, "Hello, this is Jeremy speaking, from the Brown residence". You don't have to state your family name if you don't wish to. However, if you're in a shared household, you might find this is helpful to a caller looking for one member among several unrelated household members.

You can simply say, "This is XYZ. May I know who's there on line?" Or, simply giving out your phone number if it's your residence is acceptable, provided you say it slowly and clearly, to allow the caller time to register what you're saying.

If you're taking calls professionally, always say "Good morning/afternoon", etc, first, before you go onto the company name. For example: "Good morning, this is Mark. You have reached "The Local Deli", how can I help you?" People invariably miss a small portion of what you say first, so if you say the business name as a greeting, such as "local deli..hi!", the caller may well be unsure they have the right number, and have to ask, which makes your business seem unprofessional and can irk the client.

If the caller is someone you haven't heard from for a while, feel free to express your joy at hearing from them after such a long time. However, don't make them feel as if they have somehow been remiss for not calling you!

6

Listen politely and carefully to the caller's request. During this brief moment, you'll become aware of whether the caller wishes to speak with you, whether you can continue formally or informally or whether you need to take a message or pass the phone to someone else. During this fact-establishing moment, remain courteous and don't interrupt. If the other person hasn't given their name or it isn't clear to you, be sure to ask for clarification at this early point. Something along the lines of "I'm sorry but I didn't catch your full name Madam" should work.

If you're so busy that the phone call will be an interruption, then you really shouldn't answer the phone. By answering the phone, you are intimating availability to talk on it, even if only for a few minutes. Never tell someone that you're too busy to talk to them right now; let the answering machine or voicemail do the talking if this is really the case, especially if you're on the line to someone else. To juggle more than one call at once is distracting and potentially confusing for the caller. And to let the annoyance of the interruption come through in your voice is impolite and makes the caller feel awkward.

Never answer a phone as a means for imprinting your self-importance on the caller. Answering with a brutal "I'm in a very important meeting, I can't take your call right now" is plain rude and is a call that you should not have responded to.

7

If you need to put the caller on hold, then tell them so politely. Indeed, only put someone on hold if you really have no choice. Some people will launch into telling you their problem before you have a chance to intervene, in which case stay polite and let them know that you've heard their request but that you'll need to put them through to the person whose role it is to deal with their matter. If you have to ask them to wait, say something like: "May I put you on hold for a moment, or should I call you back?" rather than asking them in slang to "hang on two ticks and I'll get back to ya".

8

Leave a comprehensible and clear answering machine or voicemail message. Your answering machine or voicemail is a form of greeting as much as is picking up the phone and answering it directly. Be very careful as to the message that is left on the answering machine. Avoid leaving anything garbled, mumbled or disorienting, such as a silly joke that only your best friends get. Leave a message that is succinct, clear, friendly and makes an invitation for the caller to leave you a message, with a promise that you'll get back to them as soon as possible.

Cute, funny, noisy messages on voicemail or the answering machine can fall really flat because only you or your nearest and dearest think they're cute and funny. For the potential client, employer, character referee, etc., such messages suggest immaturity and a lack of seriousness.

Continuing and finishing the call

Although these are not part of the greetings aspect of the call, carrying the pleasantness of your greeting through the remainder of the call is important for a successful connection and outcome to each and every call.

1

After the caller has established what they want, use their name to show that you've listened and to establish rapport and repeat back anything that you think needs clarification. Proceed with your discussion, and continue to insert their name frequently as a way of keeping the human connection in place. Continue to listen carefully and make notes if needed. Ask questions about anything that's not clear to you.

2

Finish your call on a pleasant note, even if the conversation wasn't pleasant for any reason. Say something along the lines of "It has been a pleasure talking to you Jane". Listen for a response and don't be too quick to hang up on them.

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Tips

Business calls often involve the repetition of the same facts over and over to each caller. If it helps, write a few different ways of saying the same info, so that you can alternate the spiel, with each call, saying the same thing for hours, will leave you sounding disinterested, and like a taped recording, no matter how hard you try, and if you sound uninterested in the call, the caller is likely to be uninterested in your business. Keep it fresh.

Some calls will be made from a noisy place or involve a bad phone connection. Be ready to say that you have a hard time hearing and listen carefully and talk clearly in return. You may need to request that you call them back, hoping for a clearer line, or make an appointment to call them later when they are somewhere quieter.

If you have children, take the time to teach them how to answer the phone responsibly and confidently. Teach them how to keep personal information safe and to not give away the fact that you might not be in the house at the time they answer the phone.

Keep to whom you are talking in mind and act and speak accordingly.

If it is a personal call and you find yourself with gaps and running out of things to say, draw on interesting things that have happened to you at work, school or during sports or a hobby. Ask the caller questions if you can't think of anything more to say. Do not talk only about yourself!

It is a good idea to locate a phone away from noises such as the washing machine, dishwasher, TV, printer, photocopier, noisy coworkers, screaming kids, etc. If this is not possible, then wander off to a quiet spot.

If you answer the phone for work purposes and you need to give out information, such as addresses, web URLs, email addresses, etc., have everything written down and in front of you so that you can spell it out with speed and accuracy and not get tripped up panicking and going blank.

Know what you are going to say before answering the phone. Getting over the jitters of answering a phone and not knowing who is on the other end can be helped by knowing your greetings routine off-by-heart (and checking the caller ID if it is not masked).

Warnings

Never talk to a client, boss or dignitary as if they're your friend. Be on your best behavior and use your manners and best language possible.

Avoid hanging up too quickly. Doing so can make it seem that you ended a call abruptly.

Never put someone on hold without warning them.

Unless it's your friends, avoid slang when speaking over the phone. It can too easily be misrepresented.

There are a number of things that should never be done during a phone call, including mumbling, creating noise, grumbling, huffing or sighing, yawning and being rude. Never go to the toilet while using the phone (whatever you think, the caller can recognize toilet noises) and don't tap away or text if the call is important because the caller will hear the tapping and will notice that your full attention isn't with them.